7 more gold coins dropped in Salvation Army kettle

A Salvation Army kettle outside of a north suburban Jewel has struck gold for the second time in nearly a week, thanks to a secret Santa.

The Salvation Army says they have found seven more Swiss gold coins in a red kettle in Libertyville. Seven coins were dropped inside the same kettle last week.

This time, the donor left a note saying they were encouraged to give more.

The total donation of the coins is more than $6,900.

"We feel very blessed that they would be generous to us and our organization," said Salvation Army Cpt. Heather Holman. "We know that our integrity is on the line and we want to uphold what they have given to us."

Dropping gold coins in Salvation Army kettles has become a holiday tradition. So far this year, 21 gold coins have been found. Seventeen of those were in Lake County.